"Infections have skyrocketed in recent weeks, filling hospitals nearly to capacity; viral levels are "high" or "very high" in most of the country. In late December, New York reported the most flu cases the state had ever recorded in a single week. My own 18-month-old brought home influenza six days before Christmas: He spiked a fever above 103 degrees for days, refusing foods and most fluids; I spent the holiday syringing electrolyte water into his mouth, while battling my own fever and chills."
"This is simply how the flu behaves: The virus is responsible for one of the roughest respiratory illnesses that Americans regularly suffer, routinely causing hundreds of thousands of people to be hospitalized annually in the U.S., tens of thousands of whom die. (So far this season, the flu has killed more than 5,000 people, including at least nine children.) Influenza is capable of even worse-sparking global pandemics, for instance, including some of the deadliest in history."
The United States is experiencing a severe seasonal influenza surge with infections rising sharply and hospitals nearing capacity. Viral activity is high or very high across most regions, and some states have reported record weekly case counts. Severe illness is affecting infants and adults, producing high fevers, dehydration, and substantial home and clinical care demands. The season appears more severe than average and could match or exceed last winter's unprecedented severity. Seasonal influenza routinely causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths annually; so far this season influenza has caused over 5,000 deaths, including children. Influenza retains the capacity to spark far deadlier pandemics.
Read at The Atlantic
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